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‘Frozen’ freezes top spot on Billboard chart

TOP SPOT:Idina Menzel performs nominated original song "Let it Go" by Robert Lopez and Kristen Anderson-Lopez, for the film "Frozen" at the 86th Academy Awards in Hollywood, California March 2. Photo: Reuters/Lucy Nicholson

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) – Hip-shaking Colombian singer Shakira was no match for Disney’s animated princesses on the weekly Billboard 200 album chart on Wednesday as the “Frozen” movie soundtrack continued its reign at the top.

The “Frozen” soundtrack, released in November 2013, sold 161,000 copies last week, bringing its total U.S. sales to 1.8 million, according to figures from Nielsen SoundScan.

Billboard said 1.5 million of “Frozen” soundtrack sales were in 2014, making it the year’s biggest selling album so far. Beyonce’s self-titled album that she released in December comes in second with 604,000 copies sold so far in 2014.

“Frozen,” about two Nordic princess sisters who have to save their kingdom from an everlasting winter, has also become the top-grossing animated film in box office history, topping $1 billion in worldwide sales.

The “Frozen” soundtrack, which features the Oscar-winning song “Let It Go,” is the 20th album to spend eight weeks at No. 1, coming in behind Adele’s Grammy-winning record “21,” that clocked the longest chart-topping run with 24 non-consecutive weeks at the top of Billboard 200. Whitney Houston’s soundtrack for 1993’s “The Bodyguard” movie notched 20 weeks at No. 1.

Shakira led six new albums in the top 10 of the Billboard 200 this week, debuting at No. 2 with her latest self-titled album selling 84,000 copies, almost half of “Frozen” sales last week.

An album of newly discovered Johnny Cash songs, “Out Among the Stars,” entered the chart at No. 3, rockers Memphis May Fire came in at No. 4 with “Unconditional,” and gospel singer Erica Campbell debuted at No. 6 with her first solo album “Help.”

Veteran crooner Barry Manilow came in at No. 8 with his latest album “Night Songs,” while punk rockers My Chemical Romance, who split up last year, released greatest hits compilation “May Death Never Stop You” that debuted at No. 9 this week.

For the week ended March 30, overall album sales totaled 4.7 million, down 28 percent from the comparable week in 2013, Billboard said.